This text covering both local and general anesthesia has many positive attributes. It uses a comprehensive approach to the subject and is readable and concise. It is extremely well referenced to both the ophthalmologic and anesthesiologic literature with many up-to-date citations. The chapters flow nicely from one to another.

It has, however, 2 major faults. First, it is not well illustrated, and many of the clinical photographs and drawings are of limited utility. There are only 16 clinical photographs in the whole volume, of which 7 are used to illustrate what is clearly the editors' favorite technique of local anesthesia, the combined retro-peribulbar block in the chapter on orbital regional anesthesia. In contrast, there are no photographs or drawings of how to administer the classic retrobulbar or peribulbar block and only 1 inadequate line drawing on how to give a posteriousion. A resident in either specialty turning to this chapter to learn how to give these injections would be disappointed. In addition, it is obvious that different artists drew the schematic drawings in different chapters, and this is makes it difficult to refer back and forth between chapters. Much more attention should have been devoted to better, more uniform, and more comprehensive illustrations.